Etienne is more experienced at interpreting EP reports than I am, so I will allow her to comment on those scores. She is not around today, but I am sure she will comment once she returns.

I am glad to see that you have an up to date report though, because that will be very useful at the appeal.

The 11+ scores of 112 and 114 are low, but they do seem very low when compared to all the high percentiles in the EP report - clearly the low working memory score is getting in the way quite severely.

My worry though is the CATs scores. They are very close to the 11+ score indeed, and a panel might conclude that 112 - 114 is therefore the limit of your son's ability.

You have a couple of options. One is to leave the CATs scores out of your appeal, because you have no obligation to submit any evidence that might undermine your case. You would also need to ask the Head to leave them off his/her summary sheet. I think that would be a wise move, because they certainly don't benefit your case.

You might then consider asking the school to run a new battery of CATs tests in the hope of getting better scores. A lot of schools do that for children who are near misses for the 11+. If you do get better results you can submit them later, or even on the day of the appeal, because small amounts of new evidence can be submitted at the actual hearing - a simple letter or a sheet showing CATs, for example.

Aside from the working memory problem, I have a suspicion that your son is one of those boys who just can't quite see the point of all these funny tests!

S-A has pointed to the significant discrepancy between cognitive ability and working memory. Did the EP recommend extra time, and if so what reasons did he/she put forward?

I agree that you personally don't have to submit the CATs if they weaken your case, and by all means discuss the matter with the head. I would just draw attention to two things. First, it might possibly put the head in a difficult situation (are you asking the school to withhold evidence that is requested on the official appeal summary sheet?). Secondly, if the same panel happens to hear several appeals from the same school, they become puzzled if they see that some children have CATs results listed, while others do not. There could be a perfectly natural explanation (it might be a genuine oversight, or some children might have been absent when the tests were taken). However, a panel may suspect that they are being bamboozled and are not being told the full story!

Firstly, thank you so much for your thoughts. This is an emotional roller coaster for all and we are grateful for any help.

On to school this morning and DS did CATS recently and they will look at scores to see if better. We also considered giving him extra time but did't. We are considering a re-run with extra time...your thoughts? School could not be more helpful.

Extra time of 25% was recommended, for all internal and external examinations, to:

*Compensate for ineffciency and relative slowness in absorbing information through reading, (storage and retrieval)
*Read, re-read and read again each question to discern its direction and plan the time allowance
*Organise his thoughts and plan his response in mind-map/spider diagram form
retrieve the relevant language
*Spell accurately

When DS did some practice papers it became obvious that to be sure of a pass mark he would need extra time. We had applied for extra time for my eldest DD who got extra 5 mins. Eldest DS is far less severe and and VR score lower. She passed 11+. When we applied for extra time for DS the reason that was given why he could not have extra time was that they did not consider him to be disabled(Interesting label). I have now looked through your Q&A and I think he does meet the criteria in every way. He was refussed extra time at the last minute and he knew we had applied so when he took the tests he was under a lot of pressure to get through the questions. He so wanted to pass!

My DS is dyslexic and has Aspergers and we applied for an enlarged answer sheet and a break in the middle which was granted. I have a letter that clearly states 'This panel has reviewed the information provided by **** headteacher and do consider **** to be disabled as defined in the Act. They have therefore agreed to the following adjustment(s) being made:.....'

In July he had an EP assessment which told us more about his difficulties and it was obvious that he would need extra time. EP report states this. So in September at the second adjustment panel meeting we applied for extra time.

Letter received on 24th Sept states 'Please note it has not been possible to agree the request for extra time'.

When DS did some practice papers it became obvious that to be sure of a pass mark he would need extra time. We had applied for extra time for my eldest DD who got extra 5 mins. Eldest DS is far less severe and and VR score lower. She passed 11+. When we applied for extra time for DS the reason that was given why he could not have extra time was that they did not consider him to be disabled(Interesting label). I have now looked through your Q&A and I think he does meet the criteria in every way. He was refussed extra time at the last minute and he knew we had applied so when he took the tests he was under a lot of pressure to get through the questions. He so wanted to pass!

When we applied for extra time for DS the reason that was given why he could not have extra time was that they did not consider him to be disabled(Interesting label).

Sugar, I donâ€™t know anything about dyslexia, Iâ€™m afraid, but itâ€™s quite a simple process to establish whether your DS is considered disabled (in the eyes of the law, at least).

You simply ring up the Disability Rights Commission on 08457 622 633. They may pass you round a few people but eventually youâ€™ll get through to the right person who will ask you a series of questions and then give you an opinion. For us the clincher was: â€œWhat happens if your daughter doesnâ€™t take her medication?â€

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